Water-heater.



No. 638,30l. Patented Dec. 5,` |899. P. G. VAN wlE. WATER HEATER.

(Application tiled J'n. 16, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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PETER G. VAN WIE, OF HAMILTON, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO F. di L. KAHN h BROS., OF SAME PLACE.

ATER-HEATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 638,301, dated December 5, 1899. Application tiled January 16, 1899. Serialvllo. 702,214. (No model.)

To @ZZ who-m, it may concern:

Be it known that I, PETER G. VAN WIE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Hamilton, Butler county,Ohio,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in 7ater-Heaters, of which the following is a speciication.

This invention pertains to improvements in water-heaters, and the improvements will be readily understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a vertical section of a waterheater embodying my improvements; Fig. 2, a Vertical section of the upper portion of the heating-screw, and Fig. 3 a side elevation of the heater shown as provided with a supporting-bracket instead of a supporting-base.

In the drawiugs,1 indicates alarge and very coarse-threaded screw; 2, the hollow or tubular body of the screw; 3, the hollow thread of the screw, the same being illustrated as of bastard section and abnormally thin-that is to say, the spaces between the threads are greater in thickness than the threads themselves; 4, a tube disposed within the hollow body of the screw and secured thereto watertight by threads at each end, this tube forming a core within the screw; 5, the hollows of the threads of the screw, their interior walls being formed by tube 4; 6, aspiral rib formed upon the inner surface of screw-body 2 and engaging the periphery of tube 4, the bore of screw-body 2 being larger than the exterior of tube 4, so as to make room for this rib; 7, a thin space formed between the inner wall of screw-body 2 and the outer surface of tube 4 above and below rib 6, this space following the spiral of the screw and forming upper and lower thin extensions ofthe hollow 5 of the screw-thread; 8, the hot-water outlet in the form of a pipe screwed horizontally into the upper end of the heating-screw, so as to be in communication with the upper terminal of the hollow 5 of the thread; 9, the coldwater inlet correspondingly arranged at the lower terminal of the screw-thread; 10, a cylindrical metallic jacket inclosing the heating-screw and tting the exterior of its thread, this jacket being formed, preferably, of two thicknesses of sheet metal; 11, a thickness of insulating material, as asbestos, disposed between the two layers of the metallic jacket; l2, the spiral heat-passage formed by the spaces between the screw-th reads and having its outer wall formed by the jacket; 13, a base forming a finish for the lowerend of thejaoket and forming also a receptacle and support for the burner-work; 14, legwork, which may,il` desired, be added to the base to support the structure free of the licor if it is to be employed as a standing heater resting on the floor; 15, an ordinary ring gas-burner disposed within the base and arranged to discharge its heated products upwardly into the casing around the body of the screw; 16, a tubular gas-burner extending upwardly into tube 4; 17, the gas-ajutages in burner 16, the same bein'g` arranged in spiral form; 18, pipes for supplying gas to the burner, the same to be supplied with suitable valves, dac., usual in connection with gas-burners employed for the development of heat; 19, a crown-piece capping the upper end of the jacket; 20, outlet for waste products of combustion, the same being formed'in crownpiece 19 and adapted for connection with a suitable waste-pipe, and 21 a bracket engaging the structure and adapted for use in supporting it independent of its base if such system of support be preferred.

The water entering at 9 traverses the hollow 5 of the thread and leaves at pipe 8. The hot products from ring-burner 15 traverse the spiral passage 12 and leave at the top of the jacket, going thence to the waste-pipe, these hot products imparting heat to the spirally-moving current of water through the metallic walls of the thread. At the same time tubular burner 16 imparts heat to the water through the metal of tube 4.

The presence of space 7, formed by keeping the general interior surface of the body of the screw a little distance away from the exterior of tube 4, results in a thin body of water being subjected to the action of heat transmitted through the metal, thus enhancing the rapidity with which the heat is transmitted to the water.

The spiral disposition of gas-ajutages 17 in the tubular burner 16 guards against the air-supply to one ajutage, being compelled IOO to pass directly up through the gas burning at the ajutage immediately below, and thus avoids the incomplete combustion and the odors found to be incident to all other disposition of the aj utages 17 with which I have experimented.

Tube 4 is, when broadly considered, merely a core to provide an inner wall for the hollow 5 of the screw-thread, but it has in addition important advantages in a structural way. It would`be extremely difficult if not impossible to cast the hollovsT of thread 5 if tube 4 were an integral part of the screw-casting. Especially would trouble arise if an attempt were made to obtain the thin space 7. The employment of the separable screw core formed by the tube 4 permits of casting the screw with its hollow threads on a substantial sand core, and the presence of rib 6, incident to the formation of space 7, permits of the exterior of the tube engaging only the narrow surface formed by the rib, thus avoiding difculties which might arise in fitting; but I should here explain that in practice I do not find it important to secure a watertight juncture between the exterior of tube 4 and the surface of rib G, an ordinary rough fit being all-sufficient, and any slight leakage which may occur past rib 6 not materially interfering with the general spirality of the current of water flowing through the heater. It will be understood, of course, that the screwcore formed by tube 4 has a tubular form only as incidental to the desire to employ heat within the interior of the screw.

The jacket need fit the exterior of the screwthreads with but ordinary nicety, any slight leakage of the hot gases past the screwthreads not materially detracting from the general spirality of the course of the gases.

I claim as my inventionl. In a water-heater, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a vertically-disposed screw having a tight spiral water-passage, water connections to and from said passage, a jacket closely surrounding said screw-and forming` a spiral air passage between the threads of said screw open at its upper and lower ends, and a gas-burner disposed below the open lower end of said spiral air-passage.

2. In a water-heater, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a vertically-disposed screw having a tight spiral water-passage and having also an open axial air-passage through it, water connections to and from said spiral water passage, a jacket surrounding said screw and forming a spiral air-passage between the threads of the screw open at its upper and lower ends, and a gas-burner at the base of said screw and discharging its products to the base'of said spiral air-passage.

A 3. In a water-heater, the combination, substan tially as set forth, of a metallic screw having a hollow thread and having spirally-arranged thin spaces 7 communicating with and forming an expansion of the base of the hollow of the thread, water connections to and from the passage formed by the hollow of the thread, and means for applying heat to said screw.

4. In a water-heater, the combination, sub.- stantially as set forth, of a vertical screw having a spiral water-passage and having an axial air-passage, water connections to and from said spiral passage, and a tubular burner disposed within said axial air-passage and having gas-ajutages in its periphery.

5. In a water-heater, the combination, substan tially as set forth, of a vertical screw hav-4 ing a spiral water-passage and having an axial air-passage, water connections to and from said spiral passage, and a tubular burner disposed within said axial. air-passage and having a spiral series of gas-ajutages in its periphery.

6. In a water-heater, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a vertical screw having a hollow body and thread, a spiral rib 6 projecting from the inner wall of said body, a cylindrical core disposed within said body and having its periphery engaging said spiral ribs, water connections to and from the spiral passage formed by the hollow thread of the screw, and a gas-burner at the base of the screw.

7. In a water-heater, the combination, substantially as set forth, of a Vertical screw having a hollow body and thread, a tubular cylindrical core disposed within the body of the screw and having its exterior in water-tight connection with the interior of the ends of the screw-body, and a gas-burner at the base of the screw.

P. G. VAN WIE.

lVitnesses:

T. C. RATCLIFF, RICHARD HEROLD.

IOO 

